Mail-bag.



No. 868,404. PATENTED JULY 2,1907; M. LUPBBRGER. I

' MAIL BAG.

APPLIOATIQN FILED FEB. 18, 1907.

I INPENTOR JW.LqPhe rSer- WITNESSES.-

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MATTHIAS LUPBERGER, OF SANDUSKY, OHIO.

MAIL-BAG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1907.

'" Application filed February 13,1907. Serial No. 357,212.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHIAS LUPBERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sandusky, in the county of Erie and State of- Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bags; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in mail bags and more particularly to that class adapted to be used in carrying mail upon trains and by letter carriers and my object is to provide a suitable stay for the upper edge or mouth of the mail bag.

A further object is to so construct the stay that the mouth of the bag may be readily opened or closed.

A further object is to provide means for readily holding the flap of the bag in its closed position.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved form of bag such as is adapted to be used in carrying mail on the train. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional, view on an enlarged scale showing the securing means for the flap of the bag and means for attaching the same to the bag. 3 is a perspective view of one of the stays removed from the bag. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view thereof, and, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of that form of bag used by mail carriers.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates the body of the bag which is preferably constructed of leather or like water proof material. The lower end of the body 1 is provided with a reinforcing strip 2 while the upper end thereof is left open to form a mouth 3 through which the mail can be placed within the bag and in order to reinforce the walls of the body at the upper end of the bag I provide stays 4 Which are preferably arranged in pairs and provided at one end with eyes 5 through which is disposed a pivot pin 6 and by which means said stays are hingedly secured together.

I preferably employ two sets of stays for each bag, one at each end of the mouth 3, the pivot pin thereof being at the ends of the mouth and in order to readily hold the stays in position I provide a binding strip 7 which is placed over the stays 4 and secured to the body of the bag in any preferred manner as by stitching the same.

The stays 4 are of less length than one-half the width of the bag so that said stays may be readily swung outwardly on their pivot points to open the mouth of the bag.

The material at one side of the body is elongated at its upper edge to form a flap or closure 8 so that when desired said flap may be directed over the mouth 3 to protect the contents of the bag from the inclemency of the weather and in order to readily hold the flap in its closed position I have provided a pair of hooks 9 which are provided with the usual form of spring tongue 10 so that when the flap is directed into engagement with the hooks, the tongues 10 will hold the same in its closed position, the edge of the flap being inserted between the end of the hook and the spring tongue. i

In securing the hooks to the bag, said hooks are disposed through openings 11 in one face of the bag so that the meeting point between the hook and the free end of the spring tongue will be disposed upon the outside of the bag and the hooks are secured in position by directing a tie wire or the like 12 through a loop 13 at the inner end of the hook and around one of the stays 4 while that portion of the hook extending outside of the bag is secured in position by directing a tie wire 14 around the hook and through the adjacent portions of the wall of the bag.

If it is desired to securely lock the mouth of the bag closed, I secure to one wall of the bag, a staple 15 which is adapted to enter an opening in a plate 16 carried by the opposite wall of the bag and after the staple has been passed through the plate 16, any suitable form of padlock or the like (not shown) may be employed for securing the staple. 7

It will now be seen that I have provided a very cheap and durable form of bag and by providing the stays and securing them as shown it will be seen that the upper edge of the bag will be suitably reinforced and at the same time left sufficiently pliable to allow the mouth of the bag to be readily opened or closed and it will further be seen that I have provided convenient means for holding the flap in position over the mouth of the bag so that sleet, rain, snow and the like can not enter the bag when the flap is closed.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a mail bag having an opening at one end thereof; of stays for said open end, means to pivotally secure said stays in pairs, each pair of stays extending slightly less than half the width of the bag.

2. The combination with a mail bag having an opening at one end thereof and a flap secured to one side of the bag adapted to extend over said opening; of stays for the open end of the bag, said stays extending slightly less than half the width of the bag, means to pivotally secure said stays in pairs, and additional means to secure the flap in its closed position comprising hooks secured to the bag, and spring tongues adapted to co-operate with said hooks to engage and hold the flap over the opening in the bag.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MATTHIAS LUPBERGER.

Witnesses OTTO POPE, FRED F. EMBSE. 

